Hmmm...
Tom @ Nunatak did screw up royally. When he took her money, his job was to make sure that the bag was finished as ordered on time. He selected the subcontactor and it's his responsiblity to make sure the work gets done.
But, once he noticed the error, he did the right thing by apologizing and refunding the money.
This is a cautionary tale, vendors (large and small) don't always deliver as promised.